


I thought we told each other to live in different worlds

by NighttimePhilosopher



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018), Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Adoradot, Catradora dynamic but Amethyst and Peridot take on their roles, Catrathyst, Connie and Steven are Bow and Glimmer, F/F, She Ra AU, She-dot, Steven Universe AU, amedot AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-11-07 21:14:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20823899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NighttimePhilosopher/pseuds/NighttimePhilosopher
Summary: She-dot comes across her old friend in the Whispering Woods. Amedot She Ra AU!





	I thought we told each other to live in different worlds

**Author's Note:**

> I SHIT THIS OUT LIKE HOT DIARRHEA EXCEPT IT WAS WAY MORE FUN THAN HOT DIARRHEA  
I started this kinda non-serious and then it got more serious then i thought. Enjoy!

The Whispering Woods were quiet, too quiet for when there had been signs of a Horde soldier in the area. Except, maybe, if it was one _certain_ Horde soldier…

"_Hey_ _Peridot_."

She-dot's head spun around in search of the source of the voice, naturally -- and correctly-- lifting it upwards to find her on a tree branch. It was the last person she wanted to see right now.

"_Catrathyst_." Her eyes couldn't help but narrow.

"The one and only." Catrathyst preened, gradually getting up from her perch on the branch in a long, languid stretch. She yawned and She-dot caught the glint of her fangs. "Heard you and your little friend are lookin' for some First One's tech 'round here." Her eyes intensified for a moment. "You wouldn't mind if I joined in, would you?"

"I would, in fact." Peridot kept her voice low and steady, and did the same with the sword of protection. The presence of her ex-friend made her tense up in the worst of ways, making her feel weak and unready even in her strongest form.

"Huh. Well, ain't that too bad," Catrathyst smirked, walking along her perch with ease. Peridot scanned up the short length of her stocky form, recognizing every curve and muscle in motion, rippling underneath her tight red jumpsuit. Her lavender tail aided her balance like an afterthought, Peridot familiar with her training ground just as much as her. The mask on her head sat sharp as always, and her silky hair and ears billowed out behind her, wild and beautiful. "’cause I'm thinkin' I already have."

Peridot hated how Amethyst could see her flinch, even if it was only for a moment. "What do you mean?" She asked, boasting a strong voice that she only hoped could hide her uneasiness.

As if they weren't enemies, Catrathyst hopped down from the tree, striding into She-dot's space without the slightest hint of caution. Peridot wanted to recoil in the face of her confidence but refused to let herself budge even an inch. She dug her golden boots into the dirt in defiance. Catrathyst held her gaze easily despite She-dot's height and aura that so very opposed her own. She even quirked her lips, a small fang peeking out to tease. "_Man_, you got _tall_. We used to be the same height, you know."

"This height is not _consistent_\--" Peridot stopped herself and shook her head in frustration, refusing to play Amethyst's game. She couldn’t slip into friendly habits here. "What is it that you're playing at?!" She commanded, lifting the hilt of her sword under her enemy's chin.

Again, Amethyst's eyes went an ugly, whirling wide, but only for a second. "You have no idea how much I hate this fucking sword."

Peridot was taken aback, and her first instinct was to pull it away, to give Amethyst space. But despite the grief in her heart she held it in place, pushing back everything else to remember why she was here. Remember why she was holding the sword.

"Amethyst." She repeated, her name cracking in her throat. It surprised her that Amethyst was kind enough to pretend it didn't happen.

Peridot watched as she fished something from her pocket, holding it up to her face obnoxiously between the sharp, black claws of her thumb and index. Peridot used a free hand to adjust her golden visor, gasping at the instantly recognizable diamond-shape of a First One's chip. It shone pink in Amethyst's purple hand. Her and Steven had ventured into the Crystal Castle to find one like it earlier.

"Amethyst, I know you won't believe this but it is integral that I have that piece."

"Oh, don't worry, I believe you Peri. All the more better that I have it then, huh?"

Amethyst dodged out of her reach before she could grab her, howling with laughter as she leapt back up into the trees, jumping from one to the next.

"Why?!" Peridot cried furiously, following after her with heavy footsteps. Her new form was weighty compared to her’s and Amethyst’s by far, and she still hadn't completely adjusted to the different movement, feeling lanky and overpowered when she needed coordination and speed to beat Catrathyst. "This isn't a game anymore, Amethyst!"

Amethyst leapt higher into the trees, leaving Peridot unable to follow her movements. The forest suddenly went quiet with the lack of Amethyst’s cackling, forcing Peridot to search every direction, twisting her head this way and that. Just when she considered that she might now be alone, branches rustled and snapped behind her, making its way to her ears too late.

Catrathyst’s weight appeared on her, heavy and aggressive and sharp, enough to send her to the ground with a surprised screech. She rolled from under Amethyst as best she could, lifting her arm just in time so her bracer took a nasty swipe instead of her face. Before Amethyst could land another hit, She-dot caught her fist, squeezing it hard enough to make her know she wasn’t going to let go.

“Where did you get that chip?!” Peridot demanded, her sword clattering to the ground to grab Amethyst’s other punch easily since it came from a mile away. Amethyst growled like she did when they used to spar, an excited and usually triumphant noise, but this time it had a frustrated edge to it, because this time it was Peridot winning instead of Amethyst.

Amethyst panted against the force Peridot used against her but still managed a dark laugh. “Maybe you should ask your little _buddy_.”

“Steven?!” Realization dawned on her. There was a reason that chip looked so familiar. “That’s--!! _Ours!!_”

“Oh shoot, that’s his name? I kept calling him _Stephan_. _My bad_.” She grinned, sharp and awful.

"What did you do?!” Peridot gasped, suddenly livid. Amethyst could overpower Steven in a heartbeat. His powers were undeveloped and beyond his control. It suddenly didn’t matter about the chip. “Where's Steven?!”

“You really care about that lil’ squirt, don’t you?” Amethyst’s voice was softer than expected. Peridot didn’t give her an answer, only continuing to glare. “Look, I’ll give you a hint -- something like, saaaayy, _where’s my whip?_”

She-dot glanced down to Amethyst’s waist, finding her utility belt empty (besides a hastily stuffed ration bar that took Peridot back a month). She looked back only to find Amethyst smirking at her, which infuriated her enough to throw her to the ground. “Where are you keeping him!?”

Amethyst rolled as she hit the dirt, backflipping away and finding her feet. “Right where you left him.” She brushed a fist against her mouth, standing her full height. “Remember that, nerd?”

Peridot clasped her hand over her mouth carefully. “The Crystal Castle?”

She only realised Amethyst was leaving when she spoke again. “Whelp, I’ll leave you to it ‘dot.” She was padding away slowly, almost leaving room for Peridot to do something, say something. Her voice sounded more disappointed than it should have, considering she had the chip and Steven held up somewhere.

Peridot angrily pointed her sword at her. “Amethyst!! I’ll get you for this!”

Amethyst turned her head to poke her tongue out in a tease, but it wasn’t even half-hearted. The corners of her mouth tried everything not to droop but even that wasn’t enough. She looked miserable and she knew it, because she started to glow, shifting to all fours and letting the crimson mask fall over her eyes before taking off as her panther form in the direction of the Horde. Peridot watched her mane disappear between the trees, scowling. She didn’t expect a goodbye but it still hurt.

She shook her head and started to take off in the opposite direction, towards the Crystal Castle. She couldn’t think about Amethyst now. That was for later, in the sanctum of her own room, where people wouldn’t hear her over her personal waterfalls. Now was locating Steven and delivering him back to his mother -- the _Queen_ \-- unscathed.

* * *

Peridot heard his cries for help from a mile away. The kid had a strong voice box, if anything.

“She-dot!! _Sheee-doooot!!_” He turned quickly at the sound of her boots catching in the foliage and vines, and she spotted fresh traces of tears on his face. She was so dead. “SHE-DOT!”

“The one and only.” She muttered as she ran to his side in the clearing surrounding the castle, flinching at the words she copied from Amethyst. What had once been a signal of their bond and her affection now sat tasting bitter and rotten in the back of her mouth.

“Where did you go?” He asked first, his childish tone a mix of distraught and actual, genuine curiosity. He seemed to both understand how much trouble he’d gotten into, yet totally miss how fatal a position she’d left him in when she went to find Catrathyst.

“_I’m_ _sorry, okay?_” She bit out, nearly _growled_, frustrated beyond belief at herself as she scrabbled at the gem-embedded whip. Here she was, supposedly a great, mythical hero from ancient legend, and she’d left a _child _to stand out the front of an abandoned, hi-tech castle while she hunted in the forest after _hints_ of her former best friend.

Steven didn’t comment on her anger, instead wanting to get his own half of the tale out. “Peridot, she-- tricked me!” He grunted, struggling against the whip, clearly upset. “She said she knew you, that she was a friend, and--and--!!”

“Steven, _firstly_, you can’t listen to _anything_ _Catrathyst_ says!” Peridot gave up on tugging and nicked the interlocking binds with the massive, clunky sword of power that was very much not made to cut rope. It did so with ease, but she had to keep the sword’s eagerness to a minimum to avoid plunging it straight into Steven. The whip fell to segmented pieces before dissolving away into lilac nothingness as they hit the ground. “She’s an extremely persuasive liar_, _and has more obnoxious tricks up her sleave than tying you up with her whip.”

“I know that _now_.” He pouted, rubbing at the marks left on his chubby little arms. Peridot dropped her She-dot form, letting her shoulders slump.

“_Secondly, **how** did she find you_\--” Peridot cut herself off with a breath. She was trying to break the habit of shifting or implying blame onto others. The Horde had built it into her, and while it was useful there, out in the world it only caused problems, mistrust reflected back at her in the eyes of the people she was supposed to be helping. “Ugh. _When_ did she find you? What exactly…” she searched for the right word, “_transpired?_”

“It was after you left,” Steven sniffled, “when you said you had to _‘investigate the woods_’.” He mimicked her nasally tone and she scowled. “I was making a drawing of you in the dirt ‘cause I got bored and then _bam_, she flipped out from the trees. She was all like ‘hey kid, I know Peridot, she told me to get that from you’, and I said ‘what, this?’ and I held out the chip and she was like ‘like taking candy from a baby’ and then she took it and tied me up in the scratchy whip and then she ran away doing like an evil laugh and it hurt my feelings and--”

“_Steven._” Peridot stopped him there. She sighed. “That figures...” She was too tired to hold her sword anymore, placing it to the ground after facing a castle’s worth of robot spiders to acquire a tiny chip -- only to have it stolen by Catrathyst when she left it with Steven, creating an emotionally challenging goosechase.

She held out her hand to him, skinny and frail in comparison to She-dot’s. “Come on, the sun is setting. Probably.” She screwed up her face and saw Steven flinch. “You can hardly tell in this _wretched_ place.”

Steven sighed sadly. “At least I have a story to tell Connie now. Even if we didn’t win this time.”

As Steven shuffled to his feet, Peridot gazed up at the blue surface of the Crystal Castle. She blinked. Something was off. There was an extra sound accompanying the symphony of squeaks from Steven’s sneakers. Quickly, she ducked to pick up her sword and push Steven behind her. He went stiff and careful at her movements.

“Peridot…?”

“_Shh! _We are _not_ alone_.”_

“Ah, Peridot, _there!_”

She followed Steven’s pointing finger to their left, where in the darkness of the undergrowth the glint of a gemstone flickered before disappearing with a rustle. Peridot’s adrenaline spiked when the lilac surface reappeared directly in front of them, metres away, accompanied by the gleam of eyes; one blue, one yellow.

“C-Come out!” Peridot called, the gold handle of her sword becoming slippery in her grip. “I know it’s you.”

No one stepped out from the bushes. Instead, _something_ did, lightning fast, its glint the only thing letting them see it. It flicked through the air before landing a metre in front of them. It was the chip, diamond in shape and pink in colour. Steven darted out from under her arm to grab it, but she snatched the back of his puffer jacket with a grunt before he exited her armspan.

“What are you--?!” Peridot scolded disbelievingly, but a growl from beyond the trees froze the words on her tongue. She stared straight ahead to the presence, stuck in place. If she were to be attacked right now, she didn’t think she could defend herself.

“_You’re_ _welcome_.”

The words were spat, dripping with venomous sarcasm. But only Peridot could pick the defeat in there, sitting amongst the sound. Neither of them responded -- Peridot felt too shell-shocked to be able to move her tongue properly, and she felt Steven clutch her tightly. Then as soon as they appeared, those eyes vanished, flickering off like coloured stage lights. Light no longer touched her gem as it disappeared too, and the two let minutes pass in silence before they felt they could say she was gone again.

Steven ran forward and grabbed the chip before returning strictly to her side. She gripped his jacket arm tightly, distractedly, turning away to leave without tearing her eyes away from the scene. She watched the shrouded bushes, but Amethyst never came back. She felt Steven push the angled chip into her hand and she acknowledged her hand clasp around it.

Steven tugged her along and they began to walk in the direction of Bright Moon. “Come on Steven,” She started, turning her gaze ahead of her, frowning. “Let’s go.”

**Author's Note:**

> Amethyst ruins the horde’s plans because shes too gay for peridonk
> 
> She Ra timeline wise, this probably takes place a bit before the Salineas episode. Steven is quite a bit younger in this, maybe 6-11 years old (rip ok ko ;-;). No but he’s probably 10-12 and involved in his mother’s conflict -- who is still alive as the queen of the rebellion, btw -- already. Peridot was a bit like Kyle in terms of performance (noodle arms) and social groups growing up in the Horde, but luckily had a wealth of tech knowledge behind her to make up for it (as well as that snark). She also had Amethyst, who stuck up for her but was also pretty happy to push her around for fun for those real jock/nerd vibes. The power difference was definitely helped along by the fact Amethyst could summon and weapon and Peridot couldn’t. 
> 
> The thing that makes Amethyst switch sides and redeem herself (because we all know Catra will eventually) is the fact that she has too much of a heart to ignore the awful things the Horde has done. She also misses Peridot like crazy, and realises that their friendship was a little biased and she wants to make up for that. That, and well, her mother is actually the queen of the rebellion and she has a little half-brother in Steven! 
> 
> (Writing this AN, what I really wanna do now is reverse it and have Peridot as Catra! Since she started out as a villain and all, good lil throwback, not ignoring the fact that she’s more inherently catlike and scheming. Rose sits on being Amethyst’s mother until it’s too late and she spills when shes about to S3 sacrifice herself. It works out to be fun and interesting either way.)
> 
> These are my little mishmashed ideas, but feel free to expand upon them if u want to! I probably will at some point, knowing me. If it gets published here….thats a different story. 
> 
> My twitter is [chozophilosopher!](https://twitter.com/Chozo_war_yah) hmu there im cool


End file.
